Newly Admitted Students - TESL

English Exam for Teacher Certification

All students are required to register for the English Exam for Teacher Certification (EDEC 215) in the Fall term of their first year (U1 year) in the program. Please refer to the English Language Requirement section of the Internships & Student Affairs website for details.

Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) advising documents (for students admitted Fall 2023):

 

 

 

 

Registration plans are provided because of the tight nature of the program - to ensure timely completion of your program, you are advised to follow the sequence of courses as outlined above.

The Four Year Overview is for most students, and it allocates space for completing all of the requirements in your TESL B.Ed. degree. Please note, students needing to complete a Foundation year will be starting in year 0, thus, will be following a five year study plan.

The Three Year Overview is designed for students who have significant advanced standing,(typically students with transfer credits from other universities) and does not include room in your schedule for completing the subject area and elective course portions of the TESL program.

Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) - Teaching English as a Second Language - TESL Elementary and Secondary (120 Credits)


Academic Orientation Schedule

Orientation gives you the opportunity to meet your Student Advisor and your peers in-person, ask questions about your program and gain knowledge about supports that are designed to help you succeed at McGill!

Orientation Dates for August 2024:  TBA

Please note, attendance is mandatory.


Complementary Academic Courses

Students in TESL must take 12 credits of Complementary Academic Courses.

Choosing your Complementary Academic courses:

These courses, of which a minimum of 6 credits must be ENGL subject courses, may be any course in the Faculty of Arts or any course in the Faculty of Science.

Combined with your 6 elective credits, they are best used to give you additional background in teaching subjects in order to maximize your post-graduate marketability. There are two strategies you might use when choosing them:

  1. Specialist - Concentrate your course choices in one or two areas in the rough equivalent of a second teachable subject (such as Social Studies, Geography, English, Science and Technology, Mathematics, or Ethics Religious Culture). Note that MELS will not issue a brevet (specialist certification) in a second subject, but you may mention in job applications or interviews that you have some training in this additional area.
  2. Generalist - Spread your course choices over a number of areas to give you the widest possible background knowledge, which will serve you well in teaching language, as well as a basis for teaching other subjects should the opportunity arise.

Note that of your Complementary Academic Courses, a maximum of 6 credits may be in a foreign language (not English).


TESL students who are not yet competent in French are advised to take French language courses as early as possible. TESL graduates working in the province of Quebec will be working for French-language school boards who will require that new teachers pass a standardized French competency test so that their ability to professionally communicate with parents, teachers and support staff is assured.


Foundation Year U0

Students whose highest level of education is high school (normally out of province) are admitted into Year 0 (U0) to complete the Foundation Program.

Foundation Program Advising:

The Foundation Program consists of 30 credits of the students’ choice, verified by an advisor. There are no required courses in the Foundation Program, though the department recommends that students use the opportunity to take 100 or 200 level courses in the subjects taught in Elementary or Secondary school, as well as to explore areas that are not normally taken as academic complementary courses within B.Ed. programs (e.g. Sociology, Psychology, Political Science, etc.).

The department also recommends the following courses:

  • EDEM 220 Contemporary Issues in Ed. 3 Credits
      Offered in the:
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Summer

  • EDEE 325 Children's Literature 3 Credits
      Offered in the:
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Summer

    or
    EDES 366 Literature for Young Adults 3 Credits
      Offered in the:
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Summer

  • A French Language course (FRSL 101, 207, 211). Placement Test Required. Note that in Quebec ESL is taught within the French school system and
    EDSL 215 Communctn: Ed for TESL: Quebec 3 Credits
      Offered in the:
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Summer

    is a required course in the TESL program. Pre-requisite FRSL courses may be needed before taking EDSL 215 and if so, the Foundation year is the ideal time to do so.
  • Other language courses, such as Arabic, Chinese, German, Greek, Japanese, Spanish, etc.
  • LING 200 Intro to the Study of Language 3 Credits
      Offered in the:
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Summer

    or
    LING 201 Introduction to Linguistics 3 Credits
      Offered in the:
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Summer

  • ENGL 199 FYS: Form and Representation 3 Credits
      Offered in the:
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Summer

  • ENGL 229 Canadian Literature 2 3 Credits
      Offered in the:
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Summer

  • For more examples of courses suitable for Foundation Year 0 students, see the course list for the Foundation Program of the Faculty of Arts.

If you are admitted into McGill with advanced standing (International Baccalaureate, Advanced Placement, etc.), those credits may be used to fulfill some or all of your Foundation requirements.

Foundation Advising

All Foundation students must have their Fall and Winter course selections verified prior to the start of classes. This can be done by email or by attending the group advising session in late August. To verify your course selection by email, send a message to advisedise.education [at] mcgill.ca with the subject “Foundation Course Selection” and your student ID number in the body.


Information for Advanced Standing Students

Students who attended University prior to coming to McGill may be eligible for transfer credit. Please verify the credits already awarded to you by Admissions on your Minerva Unofficial Transcript. If you believe that you are entitled to additional credits, please review the Advanced Standing Guidelines and speak with your advisor. Please fill in the Request for Transfer Credit Form and send it to your Advisor for review and approval.


Student Advising Support Team:

Tabitha Beedle, Academic Advisor
Susie Vodopivec, Academic Advisor
Grace Wong- McAllister, Academic Advisor

Email


Frequently Asked Questions:

Where can I find help on how to use Minerva to register for courses?

Step by step instructions and a tutorial video can be found on this website. In addition, the Internships & Student Affairs office is available to help you with registration difficulties.

What is the difference between a U0 and a U1 student?

“U0” or “Foundation Program Student” is the term used to define students who have been admitted without advanced standing. Generally, this refers to students who are admitted to McGill from outside Quebec. Admitted students who have completed CEGEP are considered U1 students. Refer to the section titled “Foundation Program Advising” for further information. 

When are my field experiences (dates)?

See the overviews above to find the semesters in which you should complete your field experiences. In addition, the start and end dates for all field experiences each year can be found on the Internships & Student Affairs website.

Does my first field experience conflict with my other fall semester courses?

No it does not.  If you are registering for the fall semester courses found on the overview (above), your Fall semester courses will end early, in November, after which your First Field Experience (EDFE 209) and your First Year Seminar (EDSL 210) will begin and run until mid-December.  Your first Fall semester will be unique in this way.

I'm having trouble registering for EDFE 209 and EDSL 210

EDFE 209 and EDSL 210 must be registered for simultaneously.  To do this, make note of the CRNs of both courses (first column on left when you search for courses) and enter them both into the "Quick Add" feature on Minerva (step 2 on the registration menu).

I've written an English exit exam already, do I need to register for EDEC 215?

Yes, the provincial government requires that all students in teacher education programs demonstrate their proficiency in the language of instruction.  More information can be found on the Internships & Student Affairs website..

 

When do I need to start registering for courses?

Registration for courses for newly admitted students begins in June and ends a couple weeks after classes in the semester begin.  A complete list of registration start and end dates can be found here.

What should I do if I'm having trouble registering for a course?

If you are getting an error such as 'program restriction' or 'reserve closed' when attempting to register for a course, first ensure that you are selecting the section designated for your program (see the notes under the course in class schedule search on Minerva).  If you are still having trouble, contact the department offering the course (Educational and Counselling Psychology for EDPE and EDPI courses, Linguistics for LING courses, English for ENGL courses, etc.).  The calendar entry for the course will indicate the offering department.

If I am interested in taking French courses, where do I go to take the French Placement Test?

Information about French courses and the French Placement Test can be found on the French Language Centre website.

What advanced standing can I expect to receive from my previous university study? When will my advanced standing appear on my transcript?

In the Faculty of Education students are eligible to receive advanced standing only for courses that are applicable to their programs. The admissions office makes decisions on advanced standing for all incoming students over the summer. Your advanced standing may not appear on your transcript immediately.

Until the admissions office has entered your advanced standing on your transcript, you are advised to attempt to get a sense of the transfer credits you might receive by looking at the program requirements on the program checklist (above). Students typically receive advanced standing for subject area courses rather than required education courses (unless their previous university education was in a teacher training program). Additional advice for self-assessing your transfer credits can be found on the Internships & Student Affairs website.

When the admissions office has assessed your advanced standing, you should review it, and if you feel that you might be eligible for additional courses, contact your advisor.


Program information is organized into three distinct groups:

Prospective Students   Newly Admitted   Currently Registered

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